abnormal behaviour

Question
Dear Anne
We have a year old blue whippet bitch called Kizzy. We have had her since she was 12 weeks old. She has been diagnosed with aortic stenosis which may get worse between now and 18 months at the moment they aren't medicating her because the stenosis isn't bad enough. She has had three funny turns where she has been unsteady on her feet and rather confused. She has had a MRI scan and her spinal fluid tested these have all been normal. Recently she has been showing signs of strange behaviour its like shes petrified of something in the house she walks around with her head low looking up at the ceiling as if something is going to fall on her. When she is in this state of mind which can last anything from a few hours to a few days she won't eat or drink anything subsequently she makes herself sick but only brings up yellow bile. These episodes seem to be happening more frequently. In between she is a perfectly normal happy dog playing running around but the change can happen as if flicking on a light bulb. As far as we know nothing has happened to cause this she is always with us never left on her own. We thought in the beginning she may have been stung because its almost like shes looking for flies. My vet has taken three lots of bloods and all these are also normal. I am now starting to get really worried that there is an underlying illness that has been missed or a psychological problem. She also acted like this recently when we were on holiday in our motorhome so it isn't connected to the house as I first thought

Answer
Have you checked with the breeder you purchased the dog from to see if any of his/her other dogs are similarly affected?  There is an increase in the numbers of Whippets that are turning up with seizure disorders and with back problems.  Since I am not a vet, I can't diagnose your dog, but to be honest, this sounds medical and not behavioral, but if your vet rules out physical causes, I would ask for a referral to a canine neurologist, and if that vet says the dog is negative for any neuro problems, perhaps a veterinarian behaviorist.  "Looking for flies" can be what is typically called a "stereotypical behavior".  But, I would get expert medical advice regarding this dog. Good luck, I hope all works out for the best for her.